(Wheeling, WV – April 2, 2013)- In support of National Autism Awareness Month, Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack will be accepting donations throughout April to benefit the August Levy Learning Center in Wheeling, WV.

Wheeling Island associates will be participating in the drive with a donation for Jeans and Jersey days each Sunday. Customers will be able to contribute cash, table chips or slot tickets in the drop boxes located at the front of the gaming floor and 2ndfloor racing.

“The Augusta Levy Learning center is a valuable resource for local families,” said Kim Florence, Senior Director of Marketing at Wheeling Island. “We hope our donation drive will help the Center in their on-going efforts for autism treatment.”

ABOUT AUGUST LEVY LEARNING CENTER

The Augusta Levy Learning Center is the first intensive autism treatment program in the Ohio Valley. Utilizing methods pioneered and proven by Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas of UCLA and his colleagues, and under the guidance of the Lovaas Institute For Early Intervention (LIFE), the Levy Center aims to enhance the language, social, academic and independent living skills of its students.

Each student at the Levy Center has his or her own unique curriculum based on the child’s needs and abilities and receives at least 30 hours a week of intensive, 1:1 instruction using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

ABA is a systematic approach to teaching small, measurable units of behavior, from relatively simple responses like making eye contact to spontaneous communication and social interaction. These skills are broken down into small steps and taught systematically through one-on-one instruction and positive reinforcement from teachers trained by the Lovaas Institute For Early Intervention (LIFE).

The intervention program is based on extensive clinical experience and more than 30 years of scientific research and yields the best educational results for children with autism.

A unique component of the program is parent involvement. Parents are considered the most essential part of the child’s educational team and are trained by Lovaas consultants to work alongside the child’s therapists and to implement programs in the home.

The center is named for Augusta K. Levy, a longtime teacher who epitomized skill and commitment needed to teach children that had previously been labeled as unteachable.

Wheeling Island recently won 9 first place “Best of Gaming” Awards by Casino Player Magazine’s July 2012 readers poll including Best Reel Slots for the 4th consecutive year.

Wheeling Island welcomes more than 2.5 million visitors through its doors annually. Visitors enjoy the fast paced action 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For information on Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, call 877-WIN-HERE (877-946-4373), for hotel reservations call 877-WHEELING (877-943-3546) or log on to www.wheelingisland.com.

Wheeling Island Gaming, Inc. owns and operates Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, a premier gaming and entertainment complex located in Wheeling, West Virginia. It is the largest operation of Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, Inc.

ABOUT DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES
Delaware North Companies is one of the world’s leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Garden. Delaware North Companies is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States with revenues exceeding $2 billion annually and 55,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.

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